Happy Sunday! If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know this dinner club series here on the blog is inspired by my real-life dinner club, where I meet up with my friends, Julie and Taylor, once a month to try a new-to-us restaurant. Next month is our one year anniversary, and I can truly say it’s the best club I’ve ever been a part of. I so look forward to our monthly date nights!
As we approach 2020, I’ve been thinking a little bit about what’s working here on TOT and what’s not, and one thing I think I want to reimagine for the new year is how I share my DC restaurant recs. I’m not a food critic, and since we often dine in low-light restaurants late at night, the photos aren’t always that great. So, one idea I’m thinking about is instead of giving each restaurant a stand-alone post like I have been doing, pivoting to a monthly round-up of the several new or favorite restaurants. I think that will still be a fun format to share restaurant recs in, but also make it feel less like I’m writing a book report each time I go out to dinner with friends. Just some food for thought—stay tuned!
On Friday, my dinner club met for our November date, and it was my turn to pick the restaurant. I picked The Pembroke—it’s in my neighborhood, so I walk by it often, but had never eaten there. Now, I’m kicking myself for not going sooner, and next time, I want to have a pre- or post-dinner drink at Doyle, too! Both are located inside The Dupont Circle Hotel, which invested a lot in redesigning and re-concepting those spaces, with The Pembroke opening just earlier this year.
I loved the aesthetic of The Pembroke—white, airy spaces, with lots of greenery, pink bar stools, and mid-century modern lighting. I want to go back for brunch, partially for the food, and partially so I can snap a few pictures of this gorgeous space in natural light. The service was also impeccable, from the time we sat down to the time we left, our waiter was great.
We started off the evening with burrata, my favorite cheese, and the amazing fresh baked bread they brought out. The latter was so good we asked for another basket! For my entree, I opted for the steak frites–I thought the steak was a little hard to cut, but the french fries were great, and overall, it was still a delicious meal.
Julie and Taylor told the restaurant it was my birthday, and in addition to giving me a free glass of wine (so nice!), they also brought out a beautiful piece of vanilla cake and snag me happy birthday. It was such a nice way to cap off my birthday celebrations this year.
Add this one to your list, stat—I’ll be back, and hope this becomes a regular spot for me in my neighborhood!
